Within the Empyrean, atop the Rainbow Plateau, stands the Crystal Labyrinth.
Every daemon within the realm can feel the presence of the Crystal Labyrinth.
Paths composed of countless crystals shift and change their configuration at every instant.
They crisscross, extending throughout Tzeentch's domain.
Hidden passages, woven from lies and schemes, penetrate into the territories of the other gods, connecting the sundered realms of Chaos.
Every bend, every corner, every dead end is the whim of the Lord of Fate.
At the labyrinth's center, where no sane being can find their way, stands the Impossible Fortress.
The walls of the Impossible Fortress emit every color of the spectrum, and hues unknown in the material universe.
The colored lights intertwine at some unknowable node, countless threads mingling.
He shifted His gaze from Magnus, whose eye was changing from red to blue, and cast it upon the Purgatory.
"Nareth. The Hand of Darkness."
A face that suddenly sprouted from His right shoulder repeated, in a subtly different tone: "Nareth. The Hand of Darkness."
"Abaddon... change... all..." The delighted tone ceased abruptly.
As the face on His right shoulder burst like a bubble, another face, emerging from His left leg, continued the repetition: "Abaddon... change... all..."
"No!" A face emerging from His left chest shrieked with displeasure: "No!"
"The Blackstone Fortresses. Cadia. The Great Rift tears the galaxy asunder."
A face on His right waist spoke, its tone low and repetitive: "The Blackstone Fortresses. Cadia. The Great Rift tears the galaxy asunder."
.....
"Cadia. The Ascended One. Lorgar. The Eye of Night."
A thread of fate before Tzeentch was enveloped in blue light.
A great maw on His waist produced a sound of pleasure: "Cadia. The Ascended One. Lorgar. The Eye of Night."
...
945.M30.
Cadia, on the edge of the Eye of Terror, in the Segmentum Obscurus.
A world yet to be discovered by the Imperium.
A young girl, Ingethel, her face bearing an expression unsuited to her age, appeared to be praying devoutly in her sleep.
Her hair was a jet-black, her figure lithe and beautiful. Several skulls hung from her belt.
Her cloak, draped over her shoulders, was made of tanned, sun-dried human hide.
Her cloak shimmered with the pale brown hue of rotting peaches. Coarse black thread stitched together the heavy leather.
Her beautiful, uncanny purple eyes were rimmed with pale white pigment, depicting the totems of the Cadian tribes.
She knelt on the ground, her head bowed low, her purple eyes gleaming as she listened to the voice of the True God.
"Chosen One, Ingethel. You are the Guide of the Gods."
"Your voice is My Oracle."
The figure of a giant materialized before her.
Even in her adult form within the dream, she would only reach his waist.
The giant clutched a scepter, wore grey armor, and was draped in scrolls and papers.
From his smooth scalp to his jaw, his entire face was covered in dense, neat rows of script.
Ingethel recognized the script; it was very similar to that of Cadia.
Born with an innate understanding of these scripts, untaught, she now understood the words on the giant's face as well.
They expressed various meanings: prophecies of a bright future, reverent prayers, invocations for the gods' aid...
"Lorgar Aurelian. A blessed name. The favorite of the Four True Gods."
"You will guide him. Enlighten him. Lead him to discover the truth."
"When you complete your task, the gods will elevate you! You shall become Ingethel the Ascended!"
Ingethel etched the image of Lorgar into her memory. A smile of delighted surprise lit up her face.
"I shall follow the will of the gods. I will guide Your favorite to discover the truth."
A brilliant light suddenly flared. The young girl of the savage tribe received the gods' revelation.
She understood the cosmos, the galaxy, interstellar travel, star charts...
"The Eye of Night shall belong to Lorgar, beloved son of the gods."
"You will lead him, help him find the path to Ornsworld, and claim the artifact that belongs to him."
"As you will."
Ingethel opened her eyes. Her purple irises held a wisdom far beyond her years.
She rose and walked outside. Wherever she passed, dozens of ragged savages in bizarre leather garb bowed their heads.
Ingethel moved calmly through the crowd to the mouth of the cave.
The savages followed her, looking up at the sky as she did.
All their eyes shimmered with the same purple hue as the turbulent sky.
Ingethel raised her arms, gazing towards a distant star, Ornsworld:
"I am Ingethel the Chosen! I am the Ascended One!"
The savages knelt as one, screaming fervently: "Ingethel the Ascended!"
Their language was identical to that of Colchis, in the Pacificus Segmentum, countless light-years away.
At the same moment that Ingethel received her revelation, in the third layer of the Kingdom of Disorder, Nareth looked appraisingly at the claw floating before him.
He saw the black claw, jet-black in the outside world, now shrouded in thick, dark shadows within the Kingdom of Disorder.
Black mist rose before Nareth's obsidian eyes.
His gaze pierced the thick shadows, revealing writhing red threads and tangled black masses within.
Nareth stared at the faint black threads, the tenuous connection to the Hand of Darkness.
"A Uniqueness of the Hanged Man Pathway."
"Not the Dark Angel characteristic." Nareth sighed with a hint of regret.
He desired comprehensive power, but the "Shepherd" could not meet his needs.
A Uniqueness, though valuable, he could not currently utilize. The "Dark Angel" characteristic would have been perfect.
The Hanged Man lacks the sacramental authority of the Red Priest" or the executive authority of the Twillight Giant. Nareth cannot currently rely on the source substance to wield this Uniqueness.
The authorities of the Hanged Man flashed through Nareth's mind.
'The Hanged Man is the True God presiding over the domain of Depravity, a conglomeration of black shadows and writhing flesh.'
'His main authorities: Depravity, Shadow, Flesh.'
'The Hanged Man has five heads and corresponding shadows, each holding authority over the domains of Shadow, Darkness, Depravity, Filth, and Mutation. '
'He also embodies the concepts and some aspects of Bearer of Sin and Sacrifice.'
'Lower authorities: Filth, Mutation.'
'Partial authorities: Darkness, Bearer of Sin, Sacrifice.'
A Dark Angel can simultaneously externalize every soul they 'herd,' up to twenty-two at once.
These souls obey the Dark Angel's commands completely and can fully utilize their own abilities, unlike the "Shepherd's" method of selection.
As a Primarch, Nareth's combat power far surpasses the Sequence 5 level. The "Shepherd" would offer him almost no power increase, but the Dark Angel would significantly enhance his combat capabilities.
If the Hand of Darkness were a Sequence 1 "Dark Angel," Nareth could use it after establishing a 'connection.' But he cannot use a Uniqueness, at least for now.
"Hmm. At least the Hanged Man has also fallen into my hands. Including the Red Priest, the Demoness, and the Twillight Giant, I now possess four Uniquenesses."
"After advancing to Sequence 4, once I undergo qualitative change, I should be able to use the Hanged Man and Demoness Uniquenesses."
"For now, at least it can be used to control the Blackstone Fortresses."
....
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